Love Lost, Love Found
by madame-lebeau
Summary: Jasmine LeFay just moved to New York after the sudden death of her father. She left behind her family, her tribe. Once belonging to a pack of shapeshifters, Jasmine now finds herself joining another upon meeting a man who, like her, has "gifts". OK one and all! Starting to get back in the game! Will update and edit soon! Thx for reading!
1. Chapter 1

So, I hope I'm doing this right...It's my first time, so bear with me. I do not own anything x-men related besides my OC. The rest of it belongs to the master, Stan Lee.

This is a pairing of Remy (AKA Gambit) and my OC (Jasmine LeFay).

So, this is going to get a bit..."risque", so...read at your own risk I suppose. :) Any and all comments are appreciated! Thanks!

...

The air was cool, crisp, and tainted with the scent of exhaust that most of the people living there had grown accustomed to. Unfortunately, I was not one of these people. The smell burned my nose as I took a deep breath, but I ignored the sensation, instead occupying myself with the incredible atmosphere that surrounded me. I brought my camera to my face and allowed my lense to capture the new world I found myself living in. The breath taking skyline, the buildings that seemed to reach into the clouds, the people wizzing by without a care in the world, it was all so new, all so amazing, all so...free.

My attention was grabbed by a small crowd growing across the street on the corner. My trigger finger itched, the desire to tap the shutter button on my Nikon D700 was almost intolerable. Somehow I managed to resist, occupying myself with the mission to discover what had drawn such a crowd across the way. I took a deep breath and sprinted across the street, the sound of my converse hitting the pavement was drowned out by the revving of engines and obnoxios honking of horns. My tennis skirt swished in time with my steps, the white material tickling my legs. I smiled as I beat the oncoming traffic. The run didn't even make me break a sweat and a simple slow breath was enough to calm my heartbeat. I cocked my head as I made my way towards the crowd. It was hard to see, and only by standing on my tip toes did I manage to see what had caused all the commotion. It was a man.

He stood behind a small table that was covered in rows of cards. He appeared to be doing some kind of trick. I unconsciencly pushed through the crowd so I could get a better look at the perfomer and soon found myself at the very front of the audience. My eyes widened in curiosity and amazement as he shuffled the cards mechanicaly, the rapid movements seeming almost natural to him. He scanned the crowd, a devious smile plastered across his flawless face. I blushed as his eyes fell upon me before A small gasp escaped my lips. He had red on black eyes, sending a chill down my spine. Despite the devilish color, they seemed so inviting, somehow tempting. I bit my lip and smiled. He winked.

"Ah, Cheri. Would you care to be Gambit's assistant for this lil' cahd trick?" A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth after the words left his lips. His voice was laced with a cajun twist, the sound of it made me sigh. I smiled back at him and gazed into his demonic eyes.

"Oh, why not?" I laughed, stepping forward to take his outstreched hand. The crowd applauded and I took a small bow, playing up my role in the trick. The performer chuckled and shook his head. I shrugged as I returned to the upright position.

"If I'm going to do this, I might as well to it right, no?" I asked him, smiling deviously. He blinked in surprise before returneing the grin.

"Now then mon Cheri, pick a cahd, any cahd...but don' show Gambit, just the crowd..." He held out a hand full of cards and covered his eyes playfully. I chuckled under my breath and shook my head as I took a card from the deck. The queen of hearts. I showed it to the gathered audience dramaticly, doing my best Vana White impression. They nodded and murmered amongst themselves.

"Got your cahd Cheri?"

"Yes'sir.."

"Please, call me...Gambit..."

"Yes...Gambit."

He smiled and uncovered his eyes, then took my card and shuffled it into the rest of the deck. His hands moved so fast I could barely keep up with them as the cards blended together. He closed his eyes and spread them out across the surface of his table and picked three at random, flipping them over one by one. When he opened his eyes he scanned his selection. My card wasn't among them. I scoffed as he focused on the cards before him.

"This not your cahd, tha's for sure." He touched it and my eyes widened as it started to glow. The crowd 'ooed' and 'ahhed' at the sight when suddenly, it exploded in a small display of flames. I jumped at the noise released into the air. He turned to me and smiled.

"Don' worry Cheri, it's jus' a lil' trick..." He returned his gaze to the remaining cards.

"No, dis ain't it either..." Another card disentigrated from his touch.

"Hmm...not this one either..." The last card suffered the same fate as the others.

"Well, let's see if Gambit can get it right this time..."

He pushed the ash from the cards into a small pile and put his hands on top of it. His face showed his intense concentration and he bit his lip before at last removing his hands. I gasped, my hands flying up to cover my mouth. There where ash was once piled, was the queen of hearts. The crowd whooped and hollered and burst into a raging applause as they threw coins and cash into an empty jar on the floor. He looked at me and smiled as he took my hand and pulled me into a bow with him. A smile soon spread across my own face when he pulled me against his side and waved at the slowly disapating crowd.

"Ya'll come back and see Gambit anytime!" he called, a small grin on his face.

"Great crowd huh Cheri?" he asked as he looked to me. He cocked his head upon seeing the expression on my face.

"Wha's wrong?"

"Oh nothing, I just know how you did it, that's all." I mused casually, giving him a small grin. I crossed my arms and looked at him with my eyebrows raised as I awaited his next move. He stood there stunned for a few seconds before regaining his composure. He laughed and turned away to break down his makeshift stage and collect the money that didn't quite make it into his tip jar.

"Oh? Gambit'd love to hear dis. So, how you tink he did it?"

"Simple..." I bent down to him so that my mouth was at his ear, then whispered my conclusion.

"You're a mutant."

He froze, eyes wide, lips parted. Nailed it.


	2. Chapter 2

His cheeks gained a fair crimson hue and he slowly turned his head to face me.

"What you say cheri?" he whispered. I leaned my face closer to his until I could feel his breath tickle my lips.

"You. Are. A. Mutant."

As soon as the words left my lips he grabbed my hand and jerked me into a nearby alley, leaving everything except for his tip jar behind; that he just stuffed into one of the oversized pockets of his coat. He spun me around and pushed me against the brick wall, pinning my arms to my sides.

"Who are you, and what do you want with Gambit?" he hissed through clenched teeth. I gasped at the anger in his eyes, my confidence slowly fading.

"I-I'm Jasmine. Jasmine LeFay. And I don't want anything. I was just…surprised to meet someone like me 's all…" I managed to choke out. His expression softened but his eyes were still filled with skepticism.

"What you mean 'like you' cheri?"

"You know…different…"

"Quit play'in games with Gambit!"

"I'm not playing any games! I'm just…watch!" I closed my eyes and allowed the heat to consume me, revealing in the feelings it sent coursing throughout my body. I could feel myself changing, morphing, until at last I opened my eyes to see Gambit standing a foot away from me and looking down so his eyes could meet mine.

Upon seeing the shocked expression that was painted across his face, my confidence returned. I began to circle him, my tail swishing behind me as I growled softly. I sniffed his pant leg, then snapped at it, making sure to miss the cloth by mere centimeters. He jumped. I let out a wolfish laugh. I could smell his fear, his anxiety, and it only fed my mischievous desires.

I showed him my teeth, releasing an intimidating snarl from my chest. He flinched back. I decided to snap at him again, just for fun, and this time he jumped back to face me head on. A small smile tugged on his lips. I scoffed.

"Ah, Gambit see what you mean now cheri. So, you a shape shifter, no? It's a shame you can only turn into one ting though." He raised an eyebrow. The bastard was challenging me! I snarled and quickly morphed into a much larger beast. More intimidating, more unpredictable; something that can only be found in fairytales and myths.


	3. Chapter 3

I pawed the floor, the contact of my talons on the concrete made sparks fly. I let out a quite screech, and although it was soft, it was enough to make Gambit uneasy. The smell of his fear and nervousness was nearly intoxicating. I usually didn't take pride or pleasure in things like this, but in his case I made an exception. He had it coming.

I took a step forward, my back paws remained stationary. I let my wings spread themselves out to their full span, unfolding to about 8 feet in length. The feeling of the breeze ruffling my white feathers was incredible and made me shake before I stood up straight. I took another step towards Gambit. Unlike before, he had to tilt his head up in order to meet my eyes. He watched my long tail twitch behind me and his eyes grew wide.

"Mon Deiu…" he whispered, taking in my full form rather than just parts of it at a time.

"You mon cheri, are the most incredible thing Gambit has ever seen…"

I wasn't sure if that was a complement, but I was satisfied by his words and figured that I had made my point. I closed my eyes and allowed my body return to it's natural form, to his relief. He had apparently been holding his breath because as soon as I shifted he released it in a long sigh.

"So, now do you get it?" I mused, continuing to circle the man. He stood up straight and smiled at me, his brilliant eyes sparkling with I don't know what. I stopped and cocked my head, awaiting his response.

"Oui. Gambit gets it now cheri. So, you wanna see what Gambit can really do, no? You show me yours and Gambit show you his sorta thing?"

I nodded, suddenly full of anticipation and excitement. He grinned mischievously and put his hand around my waist, pulling me close. My face burned at his touch. I wasn't sure what it was about this man that made me feel so…strange. I bit my lip as he turned to me and smiled again. He must have liked the expression that covered my face because he winked at me before taking out another deck of cards from his pocket.

"First, we charge the card…" he took the queen of hearts between his fingers and I watched in amazement as it slowly began to glow a rich purple. He stared at it intently.

"Don't blink cheri…" he smiled as he threw the card into the air and watched it explode with a satisfying 'boom'. I gasped and put my hands against my chest. It was amazing.


	4. Chapter 4

I turned around quickly, momentarily forgetting about the man before me, sparking his interest.

"Was' wrong cheri? Gambit too much for ya?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. I scoffed, not even turning around.

"No dumbass. I heard something."

"Jus' the wind cheri."

"No. It's footsteps."

As soon as she the words left my lips, two large men appeared in the alley. One wore a tight muscle shirt that accented his burly chest, while the other was clad in a loose tee. They had almost identical jeans, each with holes worn into the knees and ragged edges at the hems. The bigger one crossed his arms, barely. Gambit's eyes widened. I smothered a smile. I loved being right.

"Hey there swamp-rat. Looks like you lost this little game of hide-and-seek." One of them mused, receiving a chuckle from the other. I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I could smell the rage radiating off of the men, and their intentions were clear. They were going to kill the "swamp-rat".


	5. Chapter 5

I watched as the men began to approach Gambit and for some reason an instinctual growl began to build in my chest. The two were bad news, and I wasn't about to have them ruin my fun. I was the only one allowed to scare the "street rat". He was my new play thing, not there's.

My growl had attracted their attention and I glared at the two upon seeing their reactions when they spotted me.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Looks like you got yourself a little lady friend, eh LeBeau? She's quite a looker isn't she? Hahaha, you wouldn't mind if we had a little fun with her, now would you?" the bigger one asked, taking a step towards me. I was surprised when Gambit stepped in front of me.

"Non mon ami. Leave the girl outta dis. She's got nutin' to do with Gambit. She just at the wrong place at the wrong time. This is just between you two and me. Now just let her be." She stated coldly. I blinked, both flattered and shocked at his protectiveness over me.

The smaller man chuckled.

"Oh, really? Well it seems like everyone who even gets near you gets hurt. Isn't that right LeBeau? Oh that poor little sweet heart you were with last year. The boss really took a liking to her. It truly is a shame that she didn't last as long as we had hoped." He had the smile of the devil as the words flowed from his mouth. Gambit ducked his head and grimaced. It hurt me to see the pain written on his face, and a sudden rage filled my chest.

"You two should leave…now." I snarled, feeling a rush of adrenaline course thorough my veins. The both laughed.

"Whatcha gunna do honey, scream? Beat us with that little camera of yours? Please, don't make us laugh. Here, I'll make a deal with you swamp rat. We will forget about your debt for now, if you give us the girl." He eyed him, awaiting his response. I turned to face Gambit, eager to hear what he had to say, worried that he would indeed take the offer. Instead he spat out a "Go to hell.", making me smile.

I turned to the men again, watching as the anger began to show on their faces.

"Fine! Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way!" the brawny man yelled as he came at me. I smiled and dodged him easily, watching as he stumbled over his own feet.

"Aww…you just get those feet honey?" I grinned. He snarled in response. Behind me Gambit was holding his own against the brains of the operation. My patience started to thin as my opponent put his hands on my arms.

"Get your damn hands off me!" I growled, spinning around to deck him in the face. My fist made a satisfying crunching sound as it came in contact with his fragile nose. He yelled as blood began so pour down his face.

"You bitch!" he came at me again.


	6. Chapter 6

I could no longer control my temper as the familiar heat consumed my body. A growl ripped through my chest as I morphed on the fly, lunging into my attacker. I could hear the startled "What the hell?" come from the other man, but ignored him. I would let Gambit handle him. My victim yelled under me as I bared my teeth at him and pinned him to the ground. My paws rested on either side of his head, ready to make a quick motion to maim his face if he tried anything.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Gambit pull out his deck of cards and I turned my head just in time to see them begin to glow a rich violet before he threw them at his opponent. The man screamed as each one exploded, a few that had landed on his body left burns and jagged wounds. I turned my attention back to my own adversary and noticed his hand quivering as he reached into his pocket to pull out a small knife.

I snarled again and growled as I sank my teeth into his arm, receiving a lout cry of pain.

The warmth of his blood sent shivers down my spine as it flooded my mouth, but I did not let go. His cries echoed in the alley, attracting the attention of his friend. I watched from the corner of my eye as the other man froze in horror at the sight of his partner laying on the floor with a nearly 6 foot tall wolf towering over him, holding his arm in its jaws. I crunched down harder and could feel the bone break from the extensive pressure. Another blood curdling cry erupted from the man's chest just as a fierce snarl erupted from my own. The potent smell of urine filled my nose and I cringed. It reeked of fear and drugs. But mostly fear.

Gambit ignored what I was doing to the unfortunate man below me, instead using the opportunity to plow into his distracted opponent. They crashed to the ground with a loud thud and I could hear the sound of Gambit's fist making contact with the man's face. It didn't take long for me to smell fresh blood coming from their direction. I bit down one last time, effectively shattering both of the bones in my victim's arm before letting go. He cried in pain and curled into a heap of agony, trying to clutch his arm to relieve some of the pain, but only succeeding in making it worse. I growled and barred my teeth. He reacted by attempting to shield himself with his good arm while curling into an even tighter ball, as if he thought that if he got small enough I wouldn't be able to see him.

I snorted and decided not to waste any more of my time with the pathetic sack of shit and turned to face Gambit, who was finally satisfied with his handy work and beginning to stand back up. I knew it was only a matter of time before someone found us. Lucky for us, until now, the constant stream of horns honking had drowned out most of the noise coming from the alley. However, now that the traffic had started to subside there was no telling how long it would be before we were noticed. I phased back into my human form and spat at the man I had been occupying myself with only moments ago, making a small red stain appear on the cement in front of him. He flinched and whimpered. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and smiled darkly.

I turned to face Gambit once again and was shocked to see his bruised and bloodied hands shaking. He was staring at the unconscious man before him, eyes wide, breathing strained, frozen. My heart broke for him, although I didn't know why. Something about him just made me feel for the street rat. I could tell he was horrified by what he had done, even though he only did it for his own survival. I was snapped out of my thoughts by the sound of approaching footfalls. I jerked my head in the direction of the alley opening, then gazed down at the man who was bleeding at my feet. He was facing the entrance as well. He turned to look at me before he began to yell for help. I kicked him in the face, successfully knocking him out and ran to Gambit.

"Let's go! We have to get out of here! NOW!" I yelled, tugging on his sleeve. He remained stationary. With a growl of frustration I phased into my wolf form once more and dropped my head so I could push him off of his feet in a way that would cause him to land on my back. I growled again as I managed to leap onto one of the several dumpsters that filled the alley and launch myself over the top of the wall that had separated the alley from the back of a rundown building. Once we were over I ran until I was certain that we were safe, then laid down and gently rolled onto my side to let him down easy. He simply fell onto the hard floor. I looked at him; his breathing was still uneven and now the trembling in his hands had spread throughout his whole body.

I inched myself closer to him and nudged his hand with my muzzle. It didn't seem to even faze him. He just stared at the now dimming sky, his once vibrant eyes now dull. I whimpered and rubbed my face against his. Why was I so worried about him? He was a stranger. A street rat. And yet, I still found myself caring for him. He continued to stare blankly at the sky, blinking occasionally, but otherwise remaining motionless. I returned to my human form again and sat on my heels, placing a hand on his chest.

"Gambit…are you…are you alright…?" I whispered as I softly rubbed my hand on his chest, like a child does to wake up a parent when they had a bad dream. He finally acknowledged my presence. He turned his head and looked at me as he moved a hand to rest it on the one I had placed on his chest. I could feel the distinct stickiness of blood on his fingers and it took everything I had not to pull away reflexively.

"Chère …I'm…I'm a monster…" he whispered. It was as if his own words snapped him out of his daze. He shot up and jumped away from me, leaving me still sitting on the floor, my hand suspended in the air where he was laying a few seconds ago.

"You…you have to get away from here Chère . Away from Gambit. You're just going to get hurt. Now go. GO!" he yelled, pointing away from him. I looked at him, wide-eyed. He had to be kidding. Was he not there in that alley with me? Did he not see what I did to that man? How could he possibly think that _he_ was the monster here.

"Gambit…you are no monster. They were the monsters. Not you. You did what you had to do to live, but they…they did what they did for their own sick, twisted, reasons. They got what they deserved. And if there is even the slightest chance that there is a monster here, it's not you. Trust me." I dropped my head and snickered quietly. I was as close to a monster as it got. I could hear his footsteps as he walked towards me. He crouched in front of me and gingerly touched my cheek with his hand. I looked up to face him. He just stared into my eyes, searching for something within them. I wasn't sure if he found what he was looking for, but whatever it was he saw made him smile weakly.

"Chère …I don't know who you are…but there's somethin' 'bout you that just…" he shook his head, unable to find the words he wanted. I just smiled.

"That's just screwed up? Yeah, I know. I get that a lot." I grinned at my smart ass comment and was pleased to see the expression returned. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Mon dieu. Quelle belle femme folle…" he smiled, looking into my eyes once more. I wasn't sure what he said, but pushed my curiosity to the back of my mind as I stood up and waited for him to do the same. I put a hand on my hip as he slowly rose to his feet.

"Well, it's getting late. We should probably get out of here. I doubt those thugs didn't tell their friends about what happened. Well, actually, they might be scared shitless, so there is a chance that they will keep their mouths shut…but we should probably get inside anyway. Come on, I'll take you to my place."

I turned on my heel and started walking, but stopped when I didn't hear him trailing behind me.


	7. Chapter 7

"Well? You coming or not?" I asked, slight irritation in my voice. I needed him to come with me. I wasn't sure why, but I couldn't leave him here alone. Something was just pulling me towards him.

"Je ne comprends pas cette femme…" he whispered to himself, shaking his head.

"Why you want Gambit to come with you? After everythin' that's happened, one would think you would want to get as far away from this homme as you could."

"One would think." I replied, turning my back to him again. I only had to take a few steps before he started to follow me. Good boy. I weaved in and out of buildings, guiding him through back streets and unknown shortcuts until we reached our destination.

"You live here?" he asked, the shock apparent in his voice. He stared at the 15 story building in front of us, mouth open, eyes wide. I just smiled.

"Yup. Welcome to The Hilton. A home away from home for the rich, famous, and me." I smirked, taking one look at the place and smiling softly. He continued to stare in amazement.

"Come on street rat. If you think this is great, wait till you see the inside." I chuckled, taking his hand and leading through the revolving doors. I watched as he gazed at all that surrounded us; the elaborate furniture that decorated the room, the many halls and corridors that took you all over the hotel, the several crystal chandeliers that were hung throughout the room to provide lighting. Everything seemed to amaze him, but I found myself smiling and shaking my head when I noticed that the many customers also grabbed his attention. Looking for a pocket to pick I presumed. He probably didn't even know that I noticed his hand slip into several coat pockets and purses that were in his audience on the corner. He wasn't the only one with tricks up his sleeve.

"Chère , how is it that you can stay here? Gambit knows people come visit but you say you live here?"

I smiled at his question, and at the expression on his face after the words had left his mouth. I could tell that he was worried he had offended me. He didn't. It was a very valid question. Nobody truly called this place "home", they just came here to stay for a while when they were on trips or otherwise away from their houses. I turned to him and grinned.

"Let's just say the owner owed me a favor." I said with a sly smile and a wink. Gambit just blinked and grinned back.

"Now let's go, this way." I giggled, pulling him towards a nearby elevator. We entered and I quickly pressed the button for the top floor. We rode in silence. There really wasn't anything to say; after all, I was just bringing a total stranger to my place after we nearly killed two thugs that were after him for one reason or another; nothing unusual about that. I was dragged from my thoughts by the dinging of the elevator and the mechanical sigh of the doors opening.

"This way, to your left." I said, no longer leading him by his hand. He just followed behind me, glancing side to side at the paintings on the hallway walls. When we reached my room I quickly snatched the card key I kept hidden in a small nook in between my doorframe and the wall. I never carried it on my person; too afraid to lose it. He raised an eyebrow at me, not asking the question he was thinking. I answered it anyway.

"I don't like bringing it with me. It would really suck if I dropped it or something and someone find it and break in to my place, you know?"

He just nodded. I opened the door quickly and ushered him inside, hoping to get him in as quick as possible without anyone noticing. People here were already suspicious of me for some reason, I didn't need them to see me bringing a street performer into my room.

He looked stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he entered. I just sighed and shut the door behind us.

"Mon dieu chère …You live here?" he murmured.

"Yeah. Pretty nice huh?"

I guess the new place charm had worn off for me. After a while, a penthouse suite at the Hilton lost its' brilliance. At least for me it did. It was really more like an apartment than a hotel room. The owner had made sure it suited me just fine. He proceeded to walk around the room, running his fingers along every surface and stopping to admire things he really liked. I noticed that he paused the longest when he spotted the king sized bed in my room. I bit my lip. I told myself that it probably grabbed his attention because he hadn't slept in a bed like that before, but my heighted senses told me otherwise. I heard a change in the rhythm of his heart beat, a slight increase in the speed, but it only lasted a minute or two.

I was determined to wash away the awkwardness that was slowly building between us and walked into the small kitchen like area within the suite. I opened the fridge and poked my head in, searching for a specific item. I smiled and sighed when my fingers finally wrapped themselves around the long necked bottles. I took a step back from the fridge and closed it with my foot before calling Gambit's name. He came sauntering in, I assume he thought it was something somewhat urgent because when he saw me with the alcohol in hand he let out a breath he had apparently been holding in.

"Want one?" I asked, offering him one of the cold _Miller Lights_ in my hand. He looked at it and smiled, gladly accepting my offer. He turned and plopped down on one of the couches in the living room and opened the beer with ease before taking a long drink of it. I did the same, sitting down next to him and curling my feet up on the couch. He put an arm over the top of the couch to where his finger tips grazed one of my shoulders and he turned his head to face me.

"So chère , looks like we've got some talkin' to do, no?"

I shrugged.

"What's there to talk about? You're a mutant who, apparently got in some trouble with some sort of gang. I'm a mutant who saved your ass. And now we are both at my place sipping cold beer from bottles." He chuckled. I smiled, taking another drink. Half of the bottle was already gone. When did that happen?

"Vous êtes une femme très étrange, que vous savez." He mumbled as he brought the rim of his bottle back to his lips. Once he took another drink he looked at me again. I rose an eyebrow at him. I wasn't sure I even wanted to know what he said. He just smiled again.

"What did you say your name was chère?" he asked, taking yet another drink from his now nearly empty bottle.

"Jasmine. Jasmine LeFey. And you? I know your name can't be Gambit. That's just a stage name right?"

"Oui. Remy LeBeau, at your service mademoiselle." He replied, taking my hand and placing a small kiss on the surface. I tried hard to fight the blush that had began to creep up my cheeks.

"Well, Remy, it's nice to meet you, although I wish it had been under better circumstances."

He grinned.

"But, now that you are here, and seeing as _they_ are still out there, how about you stay for the night? I'd hate for you to run into trouble again and me not be there to bail your ass out." I grinned, playfully nudging his shoulder. He smiled back.

"Are you asking Remy to stay the night? Hmmm…not sure…well…Remy suppose one night wouldn't be so bad, but Remy wish you'd ask me to stay longer." His voice turned into a husky whisper at the last comment. Once again a blush began to show itself, but I managed to fight it off. A part of me desperately wanted him to stay more than a night. More than two. More than three. But, that didn't make any sense. I hardly knew him for Christ's sake! There was no reason for me to even want him to stay tonight! And yet, there was nothing I wanted more.

"Ok Casanova, pump the breaks. Don't you have a place of your own?"

He dropped his eyes and smiled weakly. Shit.

"Well, Remy's more of a drifter. One night he stay in the bus station, one night in the park. It all depends on where the wind blows him."

My heart sank with pity. Me and my big mouth.

"Well, we'll see how tonight goes, alright? Maybe if you aren't too big a pain in the ass, I'll let you stay a little longer."

His eyes brightened and a smile returned to his lips.

"Merci mademoiselle LeFey! Merci!" he replied, a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Ok, if you call me 'mademoiselle' one more time I'm going to have to kick you out. Jasmine. Call me Jasmine.

"Oui, Jasmine." He answered, bowing his head slightly. I could tell it was more of a sarcastic gesture, but it still made me giggle. The way my name sounded coming from his mouth made me shiver. I bit my lip again. I tried to distract myself by taking another drink of my beer, only to find that it was empty. I hoped he didn't notice. I pretended that I had gotten at least one more drop out of the bottle before I placed it on the glass coffee table, only to notice that his was already there as well.

"You can sure hold your own can't you, Jasmine." He pointed to my empty bottle and I grinned.

"You could say that." I replied. I turned away from him and looked out of one of the many windows that surrounded the room. It was dark, the only light coming from dim street lamps and the pale moon.

"Well, I had better get you some blankets so you can sleep out here on the couch." I said, getting up to look in the closet. He chuckled.

"What, you mean Remy's not sleeping with you?"

I turned to look at him, my mouth open, lips turned slightly up threatening to reveal a smile.

"Are you kidding? You have to take me out to dinner first Rem." I laughed, turning back around to hunt for the blankets. I managed to find a spare sheet and some throw blankets and hurried back to my guest, only to drop everything I was carrying when I found him. He was in the process of taking off his shirt, his coat was already on the floor, and his pants were unbuckled. I watched as he tugged the white fabric over his head, revealing a perfectly sculpted torso and chest, bar except for the small, light trail of hair that disappeared past his waistband. I couldn't fight the heat rising to my face this time. I stood in silence as he turned to face me, tossing his shirt casually to where his coat was.

"Did you find some chère? Remy be fine if you didn't."

He seemed to be unaware of my expression, thankfully the lighting in the room was too dim for him to notice the crimson hue that had consumed my face.

"Umm, yeah. I got'em right here." I pointed to the heap of blankets on the floor.

"Fantastique." He replied as he resumed his previous task. He finished undoing his belt and shimmied out of his pants shamelessly, then approached me as if he were fully clothed. He looked at me, I was still frozen in place, and tilted his head.

"You alright chère?" he asked. He tried to reach out to touch my face. I stumbled back. Then it hit him. A devious grin spread across his face.

"Oh, you see somthin' you like chère?" he asked, gesturing to his body. I couldn't find a voice to respond with. My legs wouldn't move. My mind wouldn't think. All I could do was stand there. He took a step towards me, closing the distance I had made between us and reached for my face again. This time I didn't pull away. I couldn't. His smile didn't fade as he stroked my cheek with his thumb.

"Vous êtes vraiment une belle femme…" His voice was husky and his face was close enough to mine for me to feel his hot breath against my lips. For some reason my body was screaming for me to close the remaining distance between us, to throw my arms around his neck and press my mouth against his inviting lips. My hands trembled at my sides. He took one of them in his own and brought it up to rest against his chest. I could feel his heart beat beneath my fingertips.

"Remy may be a mutant chère, but he's still a man." He whispered as he grazed his lips across mine. My eyes closed involuntarily, and before I knew it, the heat I had felt radiating from his body was gone. I opened my eyes to see him spreading out the blankets on the couch as if nothing had happened. I blinked and finally found the voice that had been gone for the last few minutes.

"You uh…you don't have to sleep on the couch Remy…" I whispered. He turned his head to look at me and smiled.

"No?"

"No."

Oh my God! What was I doing? I mentally slapped myself in the face and forced a smile on my lips.

"I will."

His eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh, well, ok. If that's what you want, Remy don't wanna put you out or anything…" he stammered, reaching a hand behind his neck. He looked up at me, flashed an awkward smile, then slowly made his way into the bedroom. Once he was out of earshot I let out the breath I had been holding. I walked over to the couch and finished setting it up. I was finally ready to crawl into my make-shift bed when I realized that I had forgotten to change. I looked towards my room and heard soft snores coming from inside. I carefully crept towards the door and snuck past the sleeping form of Remy tucked in the bed.

He didn't even react to the sounds made by dresser as I rummaged around for something to sleep in. I finally decided on a tank top and a pair of basketball shorts. I ran out of the room without making a sound and quickly changed in the living room. When I was done, I listened again for any sign of Remy having woken up. What had once been soft snores were now quiet groans. I could hear him tossing and turning in the bed, mumbling in his sleep. I crept back into the room and watched as he dug his nails into the sheets and gritted his teeth. His body tensed and a cold sweat had covered his body.

Something burned within me. I had to help him. I couldn't just stand here and let him suffer in his own dreams. I walked over to the other side of the bed crawled on top of the down comforter. I inched my way towards him and slowly laid down next to his shaking body. I curled myself up against him and gently draped my arm around his waist, pulling him closer to me. I pushed myself higher up the bed so that I could nestle my face into the crook of his heated neck. I found myself whispering in his ear;

"Shhh…you're ok, you're alright…shhh…."

His body started to relax and his breathing began to return to normal. I sighed, relieved that his fit was subsiding. I curled myself even tighter against him, happy and content. His groaning had stopped, and he was almost completely silent, aside from his peaceful, quiet, snores. I raised my head slightly when I heard actual words escape his lips.

"Dieu enfin a répondu à mes prières…" he mumbled. I sat up a little farther.

"J'ai attendu si longtemps pour vous…mon amour…"

The only thing I understood was mon amour, and that was all that mattered to me. I buried my face back into his neck and placed a soft kiss on the flesh that touched my lips. I silently prayed that I was the one he was calling 'his love'. I felt my eyes grow heavy and my breathing began to match Remy's. I released my grip on consciousness and allowed sleep to consume me. It felt like I had just fallen asleep when I felt a shift in the bed. I managed to open my eyes slightly but my vision was still blurry. I felt something warm drape across my waist and a sweet smelling breeze fill my senses. I sighed contently and rolled over, and as I moved I realized that my legs were uncovered and cold. I groaned and slid them under the satin sheets and took a deep breath as I snuggled into the soft embrace of the fabric. I could feel a new source of heat behind me and I snuggled myself up against it. Whatever it was somehow hugged my body perfectly, providing and distributing a pleasant heat.

I sighed as I felt whatever was against my waist tighten its' grip and pull me tighter against the heat. My body had never been so relaxed. My mind had just started to lose all sense of itself when I began to wonder just what was the cause of the wonderful sensations, and then I remembered. My eyes snapped open and I took in a sharp breath. Remy. That was what I was pressed up against. His bare chest was what was heating my back, and his strong arm is what was wrapped around me. My heart began to race, but suddenly, it relaxed once again. Something just seemed to wash over me. An overwhelming calmness. I realized that I didn't care that I was being held against this man's nearly naked body. I didn't care that I was slowly drifting off to sleep in the arms of a stranger. I felt safe. Warm. Content. I felt like I was finally at home, for the first time since I left my family.

I inhaled deeply and let him fill my senses. The feel of the heat of his body against me, his own sweet scent, the way his calloused hand looked around my waist. It was all so perfect. I closed my eyes again and allowed thoughts to flow freely through my mind, but was surprised when I heard my thoughts aloud.

"I love you…"

I brought a hand to my mouth and felt the familiar sting of unshed tears. I couldn't love him. That was impossible, but here I was, laying with a man I just met, telling him that I loved him; albeit he was unconscious at the time, but still. Then it hit me. A flood of memories infiltrated my mind. Legends and stories my father used to tell me and my brother. Stories of bravery, and courage, and love. He told us once that with people like us, once we saw the person we were meant for, that was it. We had no say in the matter. We were made for them, and they for us. That was exactly what had happened today. I found him. I found my missing half. My love. My soul mate.


End file.
